Framed by the Wasatch Mountains, Salt Lake City is a place that rewards precision, not shortcuts. Shaped by an Olympic legacy and a reputation as a pressure-tested sports market, the Utah capital demands discipline from those who compete within it. That makes it a fitting stage for PBR’s Unleash The Beast Stop No. 8, where altitude quietly taxes stamina, focus sharpens under unforgiving conditions, and every nod carries consequence. Eight seconds will once again decide who rises and who is left behind.
Competing at elevation adds an undeniable edge: thinner air, shorter recovery and no margin for hesitation. For bull riders, timing must be exact and decisions immediate, as even the smallest lapse is amplified. Salt Lake City mirrors that reality perfectly, a place where preparation matters and reputation alone means nothing.
PBR returns to Salt Lake City on Feb. 6–7, bringing the sport’s premier athletes to Delta Center for two nights of elite competition on Friday and Saturday. With world standings, momentum and confidence all on the line, this stop represents far more than another weekend. It is a measuring stick.
Fans planning to experience the action live, where the pace is faster, the power is louder and every qualified ride hits differently, can find ticket options and complete event details, including venue information and schedules by clicking HERE.
How to Watch If You Can’t Make It to Salt Lake City
Not able to make it to Salt Lake City this weekend but don’t want to miss a single moment of the action? Fans can still follow every ride, wreck and whistle as Paramount+ is the home of the Unleash The Beast Tour, offering both live coverage and on-demand access throughout the season.
For full details on how to watch, including platform access and the complete PBR broadcast schedule, click HERE.
The Monster Energy Team Challenge
One of the most distinctive elements of the Unleash The Beast Tour this season is the Monster Energy Team Challenge, an in-arena introduction to PBR’s team format designed for fans seeing it for the first time.
The Monster Energy Team Challenge serves as a preview of what lies ahead when the PBR Teams league returns for its regular season this summer. This showcase is contested exclusively on Friday night, with two four-on-four games taking place that evening. All rides and points earned count toward the Unleash The Beast standings, heading toward a three-event playoff among the top four teams in the standings.
Monster Energy Team Challenge — Friday Night Matchups
Game 1: Kansas City Outlaws vs. Missouri Thunder
Kansas City Outlaws: Alison dos Santos, Cassio Dias, Heitor Santos Ferreira, Koltin Hevalow
Missouri Thunder: Andrew Alvidrez, Kade Madsen, Maverick Smith, Paulo Eduardo Rossetto
Game 2: Arizona Ridge Riders vs. Oklahoma Wildcatters
Arizona Ridge Riders: Bruno Carvalho, Eduardo Aparecido, Keyshawn Whitehorse, Luciano De Castro
Oklahoma Wildcatters: Cleber Henrique Marques, Cort McFadden, JaCauy Hale, Kase Hitt
Riders listed in bold enter Friday night in must-ride position.
What Friday Night Begins — and Championship Saturday Will Decide
There are still many questions that remain unanswered, but one thing is certain: the cowboys are riding a lot of bulls.
After 19 different riders made the whistle during Friday’s opening round in Sacramento, riders on PBR’s elite tour combined for a season-high 26 qualified rides during Round 2 at Golden 1 Center in front of a sold-out crowd.
Overall, 35 of the event’s 45 participating riders registered a score, the most in 2026. The previous high was 29 in Boston. When all was said and done, 18 riders managed at least two conversions on the weekend, six more than in New York City.
Friday night will begin to tell the story of whether that hot streak continues in Salt Lake City. By the end of Championship Saturday night, PBR will crown its eighth event champion of the season.
Chief among the storylines is Jess Lockwood, who has climbed to No. 10 in the world standings. His most recent win came in Tampa, Florida, where a hard landing while dismounting his championship round bull resulted in a neck injury that forced him to miss Sacramento. Now back in Salt Lake City, the question becomes how healthy he is and whether he can sustain the championship form seen during his world title runs in 2017 and 2019.
While Lockwood returns, José Vitor Leme, the three-time reigning and defending PBR world champion, will miss this weekend’s event. Still searching for his first event win of the season, Leme had begun to steadily collect points, posting his third straight top-15 finish in Sacramento. In the final round, however, he was injured during a matchup with Fire Fight, forcing him to doctor out of the short round and now Salt Lake City.
Things could tighten at the top as No. 1 Dalton Kasel will also sit out Salt Lake City due to injury. One of the hottest riders on tour, Kasel excited the Golden 1 Center crowd with a fifth-place finish, his third consecutive top-five result. His absence leaves the door open for Clay Guiton and John Crimber.
Right now, Guiton is arguably the hottest cowboy on tour. He has finished runner-up at each of the last two stops in Sacramento and Tampa, Florida.
Joining Crimber as the only other rider to go 4-for-4 at Golden 1 Center last weekend, Guiton brings a six-ride streak into this weekend’s showcase at Delta Center, successful in six of his last seven outs.
Coming just 0.25 points short of what would have been his tour-leading third 90-point ride, Guiton was marked 89.75 points during his championship round matchup with American Made. He also logged conversions aboard Black Tie, Apple Juicing and Dirty Honey, becoming one of six riders to open the weekend 3-for-3.
Bringing a 13-for-20 (65%) record to Salt Lake City, he sits tied with Kasel for the most qualified rides on tour while owning the second-highest ride percentage, trailing only Kasel’s 13-for-19 (68.42%).
Meanwhile, in earning his first premier series win of the season and the fourth of his career, Crimber brings significant momentum after going a perfect 4-for-4 in Sacramento.
Topping the event leaderboard for the first time in 2026, Crimber edged out Guiton by 0.15 points in the aggregate, 351.85-351.70, after an 88.65-point ride aboard Tigger in the championship round.
Crimber opened his weekend with rides aboard Creedmore Precision (87.50 points) and Hookie Monster (88.40 points) before securing his spot in the championship round with an 87.30-point ride on Hot Sauce. After collecting 163 Unleash The Beast points for the win, the 20-year-old sits 38.5 points behind Guiton and 70 points behind Kasel.
Go-Round Points and Bonus Points Explained
Each performance offers riders the opportunity to earn go-round points, awarded per round based on finishing position.
Go-round points per round:
1st: 20
2nd: 14
3rd: 12
4th: 11
5th: 9
6th: 8
7th: 6
8th: 5
9th: 3
10th: 2
11th: 1
Go-round bonus points per qualified ride:
70.00–79.75: 7
80.00–89.75: 8
90.00 or higher: 9
A rider who wins a go-round with a 90-point ride can earn 29 total points in a single round.
Two-Day Aggregate Points Explained
In addition to go-round points, riders earn two-day aggregate points based on combined scores across both nights.
Two-day aggregate points:
1st: 80
2nd: 50
3rd: 36
4th: 21
5th: 17
6th: 12
7th: 6
8th: 5
9th: 4
10th: 2
11th: 1
Aggregate points reward consistency and often decide who leaves a weekend with the biggest momentum swing.
Beyond the Dirt
Bull riding is about adaptation. No two bulls are the same, and no ride goes as planned. The riders who succeed adjust in the moment and refuse to quit.
That same fight exists far beyond the arena.
People with mobility challenges adapt every day, navigating obstacles, missing access and losing experiences once taken for granted. Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation exists to change that.
Our mission is simple: restore access, dignity and freedom. Through the Action Trackchair, we help individuals reclaim the outdoors and their independence, because life should not be watched from the sidelines.
You can help put someone’s life back on track by donating, volunteering or sharing our mission at www.moafoundation.org.
Together, we help people rediscover what’s waiting beyond the obstacles.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media